[Skink]

I posted this in the general forums, but was suggested to post here as well.

I'm in the market for my sons first car.

No, I'm not the type of person to go out and buy a high-end vehicle for my children. What I did run across is a 1980 450 SLC 2 Door Coupe.

I *think* it's a fair price, but here's my concerns:

1) I've never owned a Mercedes before.
2) I've never worked with Mercedes mechanically before
3) I've only heard horror stories of the 80's model Mercedes vehicles and impossibly expensive / difficult they are to work on if something does go wrong.

I thought I'd come here and see first hand what the enthusiast crowds have to say, rather than rely on the "My friends brother had a Benz that ate his children and cost 87 billion dollars to fix" type of things.

The car itself is in Augusta, Georgia.

The asking price is $1,000.

In talking to the seller he said everything works (AC, New plugs, filters, the power windows and locks, sunroof and AM/FM Cassette). He said the paint is fading and could use some love, and the driver and rear seats are cracking (the cars 30 years old - I expect this)

The one thing that I don't know about is he said it needed a Fuel Distributor to run perfectly. I'm still trying to get a clarification on what exactly he means

1) It doesn't run but needs this or
2) It runs, but could be a lot better

A quick check on pricing led me to between 1,200 and 1,400 for a brand new one or about 500 for refurbished. Having never touched a MB before, I had to find out what the heck a Fuel Distributor was and how to replace one.

I like simple - I'm not a mechanic but through high school (way back in the day) I made my money buying, fixing, and selling old mustangs. So I understand the basics of automotive mechanics and can turn a wrench.

A non-running car that a seller says just needs 1 part scares me and I won't touch. There's too many other variables that just can't be checked out if I can't get the rubber on the road.

But - thanks in advance for any help / direction you can provide.

 

[dawsman]

Run! Run Away! Buy a chevy. my 2c.

 

[rowdie]

How far away for you to check it out? Look for rust. That is the deal killer on these.
They can be money pits. Really poor fuel mileage. With that mileage it probably needs timing chain guides and tensioner. Missing trim. Drivers seat needs a lot of work.

 

[ScottinSoCal]

Dawsman is bitter, FWIW. Maybe understandably - he got a bad example.

The fuel injection system in a 1980 SLC is fairly straight forward. Mostly mechanical, but with an O2 sensor and lambda controller to do some basic adjustment. I like it, because when a component goes south there's no electronics to mask it and make it look like something else.

The one thing that I don't know about is he said it needed a Fuel Distributor to run perfectly. I'm still trying to get a clarification on what exactly he means

1) It doesn't run but needs this or
2) It runs, but could be a lot better

Yeah, definitely find out this. If it doesn't run, he doesn't have a freaking clue what else might be wrong, unless he's got a spare fuel distributor to pop on and check, and then why wouldn't he be selling it with the spare?

Having never touched a MB before, I had to find out what the heck a Fuel Distributor was and how to replace one.

The fuel distributor does just what it sounds like. It looks like a post-modern spider, sitting on top of the engine. Its job is to distribute the fuel evenly, without pulses, to each injector, so each cylinder gets the same amount of fuel, all the time. If it's dirty or gummed up, you'll get some cylinders running rich, and some running lean.

If the car is running, and you're willing to do the work, you can rebuild the fuel distributor yourself. I put that qualifier in there, because if the FD isn't so bad that it's stopped the engine completely, then there's not much to it. Probably just cleaning and refreshing. If the engine doesn't run, I wouldn't even consider it unless you're committed to it as a project car.

I like simple - I'm not a mechanic but through high school (way back in the day) I made my money buying, fixing, and selling old mustangs. So I understand the basics of automotive mechanics and can turn a wrench.

And I'm not a mechanic, but I worked my way through college pretending to be one, and hadn't picked up a wrench since then. That was sometime back when dinosaurs ruled the earth, and you had to dodge them or your insurance premiums went up.

I like the KJet (Bosch K Jetronic) fuel management system that both your prospective car and mine share. It's simple, straight forward, and fairly easy to work on. I don't like the automatic climate control system they have on both cars, and neither did MB, because they stopped it just a year after yours was made. Fortunately there's a digital replacement available, if you want to cough up the $600 for it. It's basically plug & play and turns the climate control system into something you don't have to offer up sacrifices and pray to the gods of whimsy that it keeps running for another week. There are problem areas - some shared with your old Mustangs, like rust - and some unique to MBs. Besides the fuel filter, you have to worry about the fuel accumulator, and an electric high pressure fuel pump. The same risk of old and rotted fuel lines that you had on the Mustang is multiplied, because instead of pulling gas to the engine you're pushing it, so gas lines go explosively, instead of weeping a bit and making the engine die. If things like that don't put you off, and you're ready and willing to replace rotted rubber and do some wrench work to get it running, it can be a satisfying and fun project for both you and your son. If you want something that he's going to be able to turn the key and have it just work, then you're probably better off looking at used Toyotas.

And there's lots of people here as a resource, and lots of information available.

 

[Logik015]

it's $1000 for a reason.. you will get what you paid for it - a non running car with hefty repair bills. spend a little more $ and get a car in better condition and save yourself the headache. these are wonderful cars but probably not the best introductory car.

 

[GlueckAuf]

To the point.

The R107 series is the perfect second car for an old fart (like me) with a lot of time, adequate disposable income, patience, curiosity, and awe for what it represents in automotive history.

It's absolutely NOT a suitable prime mover for a teenager/20-something (in age or mentality) with a busy social calendar, minimum-wage means, attention deficit issues, flighty nature, and general cluelessness about how this car could be any more desirable than a Dodge Neon SRT-4.

Questions?

Good road,

 

[nobby]

Average cost / worth of one of these cars is probably in the range of $7-$8 K.

In other words, you get a decent running one for $5K and you have another $2K to get it up to snuff.

You buy one for $1K be prepared to spend the money to get it upto snuff.

Great car for a young man who wants to learn about cars.

Just beware of rust. An FD is easier to deal with than a rusted out floor or blower box.

 

[dawsman]

Bitter? nah. Beaten down, broke, wiser? maybe. This car is also NOT good for 44 year old dudes with NO disposable income who cant work on it themselves without breaking something. It will slowly (or rather quickly) in my case drain you of every spare penny you have. Lets say you drop $1500 on a new fuel distributor (my 2nd big repair), there's no guarantee that some other $1000 part wont go out the very next day! If you drop 1K on it, your very first repair bill will be double or triple that. Once again just my 2c.

 

[rowdie]

No one here is going to jump on this car so here it is.
1980 MERCEDES 450 SLC-2-DR. COUPE CLASSIC –RESTORED$9,500.-ASK=$999.99

 

[RobTheMod300sd]

Overall, I'd say look at something else, but there are factors to consider. Does your son want a Benz in general or a 107 specifically? That's something to figure out. If there's no particular desire for a 450SLC but he likes the tri-star, I'd suggest a diesel W123/126. Much better economy and less expensive parts than an SLC.

If there's no desire for a Benz at all, how bout an old Mustang?You won't get in over your head with that. And based on what I've seen, kids still like 'em as they have for oh, the past 45 years...

But if there's a strong desire for a 450SLC, then I guess this is one of the better ones I've seen for $1000. Pay heed to everything said above when inspecting it...

 

[Skylaw]

The R107 series is the perfect second car for an old fart (like me) with a lot of time, adequate disposable income, patience, curiosity, and awe for what it represents in automotive history.

It's absolutely NOT a suitable prime mover for a teenager/20-something (in age or mentality) with a busy social calendar, minimum-wage means, attention deficit issues, flighty nature, and general cluelessness about how this car could be any more desirable than a Dodge Neon SRT-4.

That put it perfectly.

 

[GlueckAuf]

Average cost / worth of one of these cars is probably in the range of $7-$8 K.

In other words, you get a decent running one for $5K and you have another $2K to get it up to snuff.

You buy one for $1K be prepared to spend the money to get it upto snuff.

Great car for a young man who wants to learn about cars.

Just beware of rust. An FD is easier to deal with than a rusted out floor or blower box.

Nobby's spot-on as usual, but I have to disagree with my respected colleague on one point. The R107 is a lousy car to learn about cars on for a young man. There are simply too few of them in junkyards, and thus used parts are both scarce and prohibitively expensive. And the technical complexity involved with these cars can be daunting and merciless, even for an experienced DIYer.

I personally learned what (little) I know about repairing and maintaining German cars in my youth on air-cooled VWs. In the 1970s and 80s, every junkyard had a gazillion or so bugs, transporters, squarebacks, and even the odd Karmann Ghia, so a young man could easily and cheaply find a master cylinder, fender, light, switch, seat, even engine, for cheap, to restore or repair his new ride and learn a good deal in the process. And even new parts were affordable, and a good lesson in cost/benefit analysis that every young man ought to learn early in life.

Technically, VWs were simple to grasp and fairly forgiving to the inexperienced mechanic. A toolbox of metric wrenches and a 3/8" drive socket set were about all you needed to perform just about any repair. There was ample service literature out there, and it was simple to understand. My very first repair manual was How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-By-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot. That, and the much more sober Bentley publication Volkswagen Super Beetle, Beetle & Karmann Ghia (Type 1) Official Service Manual instructed me clearly, comprehensively, and cleverly, to fix 95% of my '68 Beetle's ills.

Even though the Internet has expanded our reach into junkyards way, way beyond that of what I enjoyed, in my view it still does not compensate for the scarcity--and hence affordability--of parts for this car. Add to that consideration the heavy dependence these cars have on sophisticated diagnostic equipment and procedures, the special tools they often require for even simple repairs, and the scarcity of entry-level repair literature (this forum excepted, of course), and I believe you could find a much better first car for your son.

Good road,

 

[dawsman]

see... like i said. Run! lol

 

[BJaltima]

see... like i said. Run! lol

LoL :thumbsup:


No but seriously....you could buy it, fix the Fuel Distributor yourself (I might be tackling this on Tuesday) and then sell it for $2k. Use the 2k to buy your son a used Toyota, Honda, or Nissan. I'm personally a Nissan guy but to each his own. A simple 4-cylinder from one of those brands is a good and easy-to-fix example for a first car. They also rule the junkyards.

 

[petesmga]

^^ What do you know, a nissan guy named Altima !

 

[roncallo]

The R107 series is the perfect second car for an old fart (like me) with a lot of time, adequate disposable income, patience, curiosity, and awe for what it represents in automotive history.

It's absolutely NOT a suitable prime mover for a teenager/20-something (in age or mentality) with a busy social calendar, minimum-wage means, attention deficit issues, flighty nature, and general cluelessness about how this car could be any more desirable than a Dodge Neon SRT-4.

Questions?

Good road,

What he said. ^^^^^

 

[RenatoMB]

What he said. ^^^^^

Ditto !

 

[nobby]

Nobby's spot-on as usual, but I have to disagree with my respected colleague on one point. The R107 is a lousy car to learn about cars on for a young man.

Well, to be fair.......the OP never said his son wanted to learn how to DIY. He only mentioned that he wanted to buy his son a car.

Probably NOT the car for this family.


But, what is the 16 to 20 year old generation's car to fix up?
My generation, like GAs had many, simple ones to choose from.
A hammer, phillips and blade screw driver and a pair a vise grips did the trick.
Now you are starting with an OBD II reader.

I find my SL quite basic to work on...............but buying OEM parts hurts.


We have a member here, let's not forget, who was 15 when he got his SLC. And he spent a year and all his birthday money to fix it up.

 

[DANSMB]

Spend a couple thousand more and get him a W123 300D to drive.

Dan